Goodbye to June...

AKA  THE GEOGRAM WEEKLY

Already the month of June is slipping away through alternating days of sun and heat, rain and chill.  The sunny days make for great walks and flower gazing.  Rainy days make for story writing, movies and "I should be cleaning".

And a pan of white chedder shepherd's pie, actually cottage pie

A Happy Birthday FaceTime chat with Wisconsin Angie!!

I heard a lot of bird noise ruckus one afternoon.  Looking outside I saw 4 birds chasing off a hawk.  The group made many circles before the invader flew off.  What is remarkable is that the smaller birds were crows, known also to be invaders.  Maybe nature is giving us a lesson. 

Grandson Jake to my rescue once again!

The garage was in need of some clean out care.  The conglomerate started in the fall when autumn and Christmas decorations were randomly stashed through the winter months.  Guess there was some misplaced junk in there too. 

The goal each time it is cleaned is to keep it orderly.  Maybe this time.  




Compensation is a few beginning guitar lessons for him.  He doesn't mind the lovely pink one I have for him to start. 
 Way to go Jake!!
Happy sore finger tips!!


What does this say about our delivery to your house system?  One itty-bitty can of liquid "bandage" arriving in its own super jet??
And a Walmart box sent all the way from Indiana?

I'm getting a few piano students coming back!  Sure feels good!
Also finalizing travel plans, happening soon!

Check out chapter 8 of Gram G's story on page:
I Will Not Leave You...chapter 6.

This has been a good GeoGram week in the life of Gram G.

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."  Psalm 100:1-3

Virtually New Under the Sun....

AKA  THE GEOGRAM WEEKLY

                                                     Pelicans flying under the February sun in San Diego...(Gram G photo)  

                                                        

How about virtual high school graduations?

I was going to be in Carlsbad, CA to celebrate with grandson, Jude for his....

I was going to celebrate in Vancouver for Jake's...

How about a virtual first B-day party for my "adopted" granddaughter, Pomai

 How about me giving Ted a much needed home bath?  A virtual nightmare...I'd like to say it really wasn't that gross, but it was....part rain, part pollen, part neglect.  Now he's clean and white, except for his top.  Grandson Jake needs to reach that high to clean it off. 

 How about the rain gutters getting power washed after a mere 8 years?  And virtually the whole house exterior....      Thanks, Jake!  You can't go off to Westminster college in Utah next year, cause who will take care of my house needs? 

And celebrating dumpling time and Jake's graduation?

 Dad/daughter first grandchild and first great grandchild breaking dumpling bread for the first time....

Jake's graduation brownie; with Gram G; 
with Papa Frank and Gram Carole

A couple couples celebrating end of lock down.....and a Birthday...

Gram celebrating cleaning the studio, getting ready to welcome back students....

And making final plans for a granddaughter/granddaughter/Gram G great adventure in a few weeks!!  Gonna be so nice to find out the rest of the country is still out there!


Sunday marked the saddest day of the year for me...the summer Solstice.  After enjoying the daylight lengthening it will now start shortening until the end of December....DARN....

From my son Gerry, Oceanside, CA....

I’ve named him Steve but he doesn’t answer when I call him. He shows up around my yard and does the best he can as a lizard. But he’s already had a rough life as you can see. No right hind foot, lost his tail and a gimpy left hind foot. But he sure enjoys his “me” time in the sun. It’s been a rough year for all us, Steve. Hang in there!

This has been a good 2 GeoGram weeks in the life of Grandma G.

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is something new'? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time."
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10

A Mostly Outdoorsy Week

 AKA THE GEOGRAM WEEKLY...

Monday, June1...
June brings the promise of summer, sun and warm outdoorsy days.  Last week was mostly rainy but this week we have a forecast for sun until Friday.  
Monday was a great day for a 2 mile walk and a short visit with a faithful 80+ year old friend who was out in her yard.  She showed me her garden and said how being outside made her feel so much better than being alone in her house.  We made plans for me to come over "for a sit" and  an outdoor visit sometime soon.  
____________________
Tuesday afternoon while sitting outside thinking about life, I observed my neighbors leaving their driveway.  Great time to do some outdoor cleaning that they might think a bit peculiar.  Scrub the green sidewalk floor, wash the stepping stones, wipe down the table and chairs (that's not too peculiar). Happily, I was just finishing up when they returned with their groceries.
_________________________
 Wednesday I was a bit unnerved with all that is going on.  Having got up late after being awake early morning the day got an unsteady start.      

June is the height of rose season here in the PNW.  The scent of roses and the beauty of them is everywhere in the park. 

In the afternoon I went for a short walk.  It was a peaceful time. The atmosphere was serene. The sun was quite warm but the air was cool.  It seemed the concrete had bits of tiny crystals in it.

How many guys does it take to run a chain saw and clear out a not so giant tree?







At home I worked out in the yard for a couple hours.  I had bought a small container of purple petunias about 10 days ago.  I love the smell of them.  Time to get them into bigger pots.  I wanted a hanging plant for the porch but with money tight I couldn't afford one.  Time for economy re-purposing!  So armed with some tunes, a storage bin of old dirt and a planter needing replanting I set to work.  A perfect afternoon, except for an unsuspecting little frog who was rudely made homeless by a huge lady monster who tore apart his planter home.

He ducked into the deck slats but peeked out to see what would happen....sorry, guy.... 

DIY hanging plant for the front porch...

At one point  I heard a familiar  tune played in a long ago remembered fashion...the tingling sound of The Entertainer played by an ice cream truck!
And like a kid I made quick run before he was past my house!  I bought 2 fudge bars! Refreshing on many levels!

Thursday was a cool, sunny, breezy day.  Late morning I started to trim a tree in the front yard then saw a neighbor lady in her yard.  We visited for over an hour.  We are all eager for company.

Just cause I can't get a haircut, doesn't mean my trees can't get their nose hairs clipped and their hair cut. The procedure took longer than I thought, but it was great fun to be immersed in the sunny, cool breeze! Gave the pompoms a styling, too.  

 

The outdoors was so inviting that I spent a couple hours into the evening cleaning out a side section from old ground cover....picture the entire area full of that green stuff...now its gone and waiting to be remodeled.  I have a fun idea for disguising the metal stuff sticking up.  
The 5-6 hours were so refreshing it almost felt like a day on the mountain!
______________________

 Friday, physically all tired out, but content.

 Back to the dentist!  Can't wait to see how they maneuver through the mask!
Got a tiny Portland ponytail going!!



Vancouver is officially in phase 2 of re-opening!  I'm excited to see what new (resumed) adventures lie ahead!
______________________

Jake's my Saturday man!!  
Power washing is a fact of life here in the Pacific Northwest. With all the rain, sidewalks get scummy.  They need strong pressure to clean them.  The same with rain gutters.  
Today was the start of several days of rain, but Jake gave the cleaning a start until "a little rain" turned into a lot of rain.  He'll continue another day until my house is all spiffy clean!

I'm cleaning the studio and hoping piano students will return soon.  I am contacting them to let them know I will start in-studio lessons next week.  It will be great to get musically interactive again.  I have a few online students and that's kind of fun too.  

Check out Gram G's life story: Chapter 7 on...
page: I Will Not Leave You....Chapter 6

This has been a good GeoGram week in the life of Grandma G.

"Be exulted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.  Save us and help us with your right hand, that those who love you may be delivered."  Psalm 108:5-6